The Appalachian region has been the object of many books, news stories, and documentaries over the years and decades. Yet these various undertakings have more often than not failed to paint an accurate portrait of the region and its people. West Virginia native Elaine McMillion, the producer and director of a very interesting interactive documentary called Hollow, has acted to set things right. She says of the prevailing misrepresentation of one West Virginia county, McDowell County, "Google McDowell County, WV and what do you get? Drugs, coal mining and poverty. For some people these stereotypes are very true and a part of their daily lives." However, giving us an idea of the intentions behind the documentary, McMillion continues, "But I do not believe that these should be the only images that represent the 22,000 people of McDowell. It is time we allow them to create their own images of 'home' and empower them to take control of these perceptions" (Hollow: An Interactive Documentary Interview). I have posted below one of the video clips from the project. To access the interactive documentary, go to hollowdocumentary.com or click here. (Note: Google Chrome must be used to access the documentary).

McDowell County, West Virginia is pictured in red. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org.